Democracy has won, says India's Modi in victory speech

Money SHARMA / AFP

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked voters for giving him a "historic mandate".

During his victory speech at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi, Modi said "India wins yet again" and thanked the people for their support. 

"We all want a new India. I want to bow down my head and say thank you."

He pledged to devote every moment of his life to make the country "strong by 2022".

Late on Thursday, main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi conceded defeat.

Votes are still being counted, but Election Commission data projected Modi's BJP to win 300 seats on its own.

The final tally is expected by Friday morning.
 

More from International News

  • US immigration agent fatally shoots woman in Minneapolis

    A US immigration agent has shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis on Wednesday during an immigration enforcement surge, according to local and federal officials, the latest violence in President Donald Trump's nationwide crackdown on migrants.

  • US seizes another tanker tied to Venezuela as Trump widens oil push

    The US has seized two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, one sailing under Russia's flag, as part of President Donald Trump's aggressive push to dictate oil flows in the Americas and force Venezuela's socialist government to become an ally.

  • Trump withdraws US from dozens of international and UN entities

    US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would withdraw from dozens of international and UN entities, including a key climate treaty and a body that promotes gender equality and women's empowerment, because they "operate contrary to US national interests."

  • US seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela

    The US seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker that was being shadowed by a Russian submarine on Wednesday, after pursuing it for more than two weeks across the Atlantic as part of Washington's efforts to block Venezuelan oil exports.

  • Power restored in Berlin after longest blackout since World War Two

    Electricity was restored to southwestern Berlin on Wednesday after a suspected arson attack on a power station by leftist activists caused a blackout for tens of thousands of households, the longest outage in the German capital since World War Two.

News